Losing the Plot

I found this book tricky to review. It is of the fractured fairytale genre and requires a sophisticated reader with enough extra-textual knowledge to be able to understand what is happening. I think it would be very easy for a child to “lose the plot” and just give up on reading unless they had a reasonable knowledge of Grimm’s fairytales. Not only must they know the Hansel and Gretel tale, on which this book is based, but also have a passing acquaintance with others, such as: Rapunzel, Rumpelstiltskin and Briar Rose. An understanding of storylines and the concepts of plot and character are also important.

Notwithstanding all the above, I observed a nine-year old girl enthusiastically grab this book. She loved the cover and after reading the first page was desperate to read on. It is funny and exciting, with mostly short sentences but also including some challenging vocabulary. Written from the point of view of a young schoolboy, who has been given the onerous and unasked-for task of helping another boy with his reading, the story quickly moves into an action adventure as the boys find themselves on a quest to help Gretel save Hansel and save the fairytale world from destruction.